Unexpected Visitors

I was sitting at a fountain on an afternoon not too many days ago, watching children run around screaming, elderly couples slide their legs over the side to dip their toes in, and teenage couples hold hand and meander around in the shade. I had my legs stretched out, and my feet in the cool water, enjoying this little respite from the sweltering heat and people watching with no shame. It always seems to me that if your feet are cool, the rest of you is too. Having that water swirling around your ankles does so much to hold off the encroaching fatigue. As I gazed off across the park, I was startled by a large 'plop' in my lap. I looked down, and was startled to see a beautiful sparrow of some kind, calmly perching on my thigh, as he twittered around in his wings and nuzzled his feathers into place. Not expecting to see something quite so active or alive in my lap, I must have started a little, because he jerked his head around at me, and his eyes got BIG as he backed away from me before stumbling a little and then quickly taking flight. It can't have been more than a few seconds, but as I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, I was a little surprised to see people completely oblivious to my little visitor.
My other visitor was neither as small or as welcome. Walking home from work one afternoon, I was joined by a man on a bike. He pulled up next to me as I crossed the street and we exchanged the usual short pleasantries that are polite as you share a small space momentarily. However, instead of accelerating on his bike to move past me, he decided to slow down to the pace of my walking and ride alongside me. Needless to say, I was not in the mood for company after a long day at work, or, for that matter, the company of a strange man. He started telling me about his job, to which I made almost no or very cold replies, hoping to discourage him so he would get the point. Oblivious to my attempts, on he went as we got closer and closer to my apartment. I knew he shouldn't know where I lived, but if I made a detour, I was confident he was going to continue to follow me, and then I would just be wondering around. Several times he had started to turn at a street that might have been his normal route, but had then corrected himself when he saw me start another way. Thinking I was being very pointed, I said several times, "Well, have a good day, I'm going to go this way now, bye." It didn't work. Finally, a block away from my apartment, he says his name and asks, "Will you be my friend?" Throat clogged with annoyance and the awkwardness of the situation, I simply smiled and replied, "No, I don't think so." He sighed and said, "Man, why can't I ever get a cute little thing like you? I guess I just need to keep praying and asking God to bring me one." To which I replied, "Yep, looks like it." Gratefully, we got to my block and I quickly said I was meeting a friend and took off into the lobby entrance instead of the side door. Off he rode on his bike, and I heaved a sigh of relief.